Even if the World Ends May 21, These Foods Could Survive

In case you haven't seen the 2,200 or so billboards that
have been popping up around the country, the end of days is upon us-at least
according to a small, but vocal group of Christians who believe that Judgment Day
will come this Saturday. The prediction, courtesy of Christian radio
evangelist, Harold Camping (who previously predicted the end of the world in
1994), holds that on May 21, a massive earthquake will strike, sending the
world into chaos. True Christian believers will fly upward to heaven. And everyone
else? Camping says there will be intense devastation here on earth before the
world is permanently destroyed 153 days later.

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So what foods are durable enough to hold up through mass
destruction? Here are some seemingly indestructible foodstuffs that might even
survive the end of the world...

Flickr/Photog Bill

Twinkies: These conveniently wrapped snack cakes have near
industrial-strength resilience. Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food,claims that he kept an unopened Twinkie in his office for several years without
the cake losing its moist, springy "freshness." The now defunct SPY magazine
conducteddurability tests on the Hostess snack and found that it survived
exposure to the elements; extreme cold and heat; and a fall from a ninth floor
window. However, the Twinkie did expand to approximately 200% its original size
when submerged in water for 72-hours. Similar results have been reconfirmed by students at Rice University.

Canned Peaches: In 1865 the steamboat Bertrand sank in the
Missouri River under the weight of too much cargo; among the items retrieved
when it was discovered a century later were canned brandied peaches, oysters,
tomatoes, and honey. In 1974, scientists at the National Food Processors
Association examined the canned goods for contamination from bacteria and found
that while the food didn't look (or smell) too fresh, it was safe to eat.

McDonald's Hamburger: A slew of citizen scientists have kept
burgers from the Mickey D's to test their impossibly long shelf life. A wellness educator kept one for12
yearswithout it showing any sign of decay. One man has a "museum" devoted to displaying the
indestructibility of the sandwiches, and last year artist Sallie Daviesgarnered national attentionfor a photography project in which she took
pictures of a Happy Meal every day over many months, tracking its
decomposition, or lack there of.

Apples: In 2009, Australian scientists debuted the RS103-130,
a breed of apple that maintains it crispness and deep red color for two weeks
outside the fridge and for up to four months with refrigeration.

Wedding Cake:There's that old tradition of saving a piece
of wedding cake to eat on your first anniversary. Well how about on your 113th anniversary? The Willis Museum in England has in its collection a cake baked in
1898 that has survived for over a century, including a bomb blast in World War
Two. According to the British tabloid The Mirror, the fruit cake is not only
still intact, but beneath the now browned icing, it's still moist.